Audi A4 Engine & First Drive

Audi A4 is the sedan that combines technology and aesthetics to provide the most refined experience to the buyers. The vehicle has propelled into a new generation and has become more advanced. This time Audi A4 has received a plethora of changes that make the vehicle a much better product. The fight between the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and BMW 3 Series has chronicled over the passing time. Mercedes and BMW have already updated their cars for better sales, its Audi’s turn now to bring the A4 at par with the competition. The car was launched back in April 2017 with a new diesel engine which is now more powerful and fuel efficient than the earlier one. View offers on Audi Cars from Audi dealers in Hyderabad at Autozhop

Audi A4 Style

And while the new Audi A4 may not be quite as revolutionary as its predecessor, it still moves the game up a notch. The front end is now distinctly like the new A6 – with sharper creases in the grille and headlights. The now angular, seamless ribbon of lights take the LEDs to the next level as the competition is still playing catch up on headlight design.

Audi gave us the chance to sample the new Audi A4 at the Buddh International Circuit recently, and all the cars were fitted with the optional S-line trim that makes the Audi A4 look quite aggressive and cutting edge – especially when wearing 17-inch 5-spoke alloys. Like all Audi’s, on the whole, it’s a contemporary, clean design. I just wish they would make the rear end a little more distinctive. The only way to tell the difference between an A8 and an A4 from the back is by looking at the badge. It seems that Audi designers have a set design template for the rear, which they simply scale up or down according to the size of the car.

Audi A4 Space

Audi retains its mastery of interior design and materials and the best view of the car is definitely from the inside. While the A4 was spacious, it seems even more so now and given the tech and the interior layout, one could be mistaken for thinking that it’s a larger sibling.On the instrument panel the A4 gets the virtual cockpit that can be customised according to the driver’s needs. In addition the MMI has been completely reworked and though I did not get to try it out, features better voice control as the system can understand sentences instead of pre-defined commands.

In addition the infotainment platform includes a quad-core chip that processes all functions. With a clock rate of more than one gigahertz and a powerful graphics card, it can carry out eight billion calculations per second. That’s huge computing power for the entertainment system of a car! And that’s not all. The A4 comes with a B&O system, a 755-watt, 16-channel amplifier, 19 speakers and 3D surround system.

Audi A4 Engine

The new A4model comes with 3 engine options – the 1.8 TFSI with 170bhp, which starts at just under 28 lakhs (ex-showroom), the 2.0 TDI with 143bhp, which starts at just under 30 lakhs, and the (current) top-of-the-line 3.0 TDI Quattro that produces 245bhp, but costs almost 40 lakhs. Both the 1.8 petrol and 2.0 litre diesel come with front-wheel drive and CVT gearboxes to maximise efficiency (and reduce cost), while the 3.0 TDI has Audi’s S-tronic dual-clutch transmission. Now, after having fallen in love with the 177bhp 2.0 TDI Quattro, mated to a 7-speed S-tronic, in the Q3, I can’t quite figure out why Audi doesn’t provide the option of this configuration in the Audi A4 – as opposed to the much more expensive, and therefore very low volume, 3.0 TDI.The carmaker has revised the engines for better fuel economy. The TFSI petrol engine can return 17.84kmpl the TDI diesel on the other hand, can return ARAI certified mileage of 18.25kmpl. These figures definitely add some strength to the configuration.

As far as ride quality is concerned, the comfort-oriented suspension deployed by the carmaker works pretty well. The demeanour of the car on roads remains serene and unruffled. The suspension which is heavily tuned for the Indian road conditions absorbs bumps and other undulation quite easily offering an impressive ride quality. Even on the broken surfaces, the cabin remains composed.The steering grip is awesome and the car takes the corner with ease. The NVH levels are quite good till the 120 kmph mark, beyond that you are likely to hear wind noise peeping in.

Audi A4 Safety

Coming to the braking department, it’s very much predictive without any guesswork. The car can quickly shed the speed in the straight line without any fuss. In terms of safety, the car comes loaded with top-notch safety kit including 8 airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, vehicle stability control system and hill assist. Other aspects include front and rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, warning triangle, first aid kit, tyre pressure monitoring system and anti-theft device among others.

The A4 has grown up much like its younger sibling, the A3 and now offers the technology, features, ride, handling and comfort of its much larger siblings. And that should comfortably put it back at the top of the pile in its segment once its launched later on in the year in India with the only challenge coming to it once the other German premium car companies launch their next-gen models in this segment.